Peter Shilton

Leicester City

Shilton was a 13-year-old pupil at King Richard III Boys School in Leicester, when he started training at schoolboy level with his local club Leicester City in 1963. He caught the eye of first-team goalkeeper Gordon Banks, who commented to the coach about how promising he was. In May 1966, a 16-year-old Shilton made his debut for Leicester against Everton and his potential was quickly recognized to the point that the Leicester City management sided with their teenage prodigy and soon sold World Cup winner Banks to Stoke City. Shilton settled into first team life thereafter, even managing to score a goal at The Dell against Southampton in October 1967 direct from a clearance at the opposite end of the pitch; the Southampton goalkeeper Campbell Forsyth misjudged Shilton's long punt upfield, which, instead of splashing harmlessly in the mud, spun off the pitch and flew over Forsyth's head into the goal. Leicester won the game 5–1. The following season, 1968-69, Leicester had a mixed season, suffering relegation from the First Division (they were promoted back to the top tier as champions two seasons later) but reaching the FA Cup Final at Wembley; 19-year-old Shilton became one of the event's youngest-ever goalkeepers. It did not go his way, however, as a single goal from Manchester City's Neil Young early in the match was enough to win the game. Despite the many honours and accolades which were to come Shilton's way, he would not appear in an FA Cup…

Early career

Despite playing at a lower level, Shilton impressed England manager Alf Ramsey sufficiently to give him his debut against East Germany in November 1970, which England won 3–1. Little more than six months later, Leicester were promoted back to the First Division. His second England cap came in a goalless draw against Wales at Wembley; and his first competitive match for his country was his third appearance as England drew 1–1 with Switzerland in a qualifying game for the 1972 European Championships. At this stage, Banks was still England's first choice keeper, but the remaining brace of back-ups from the 1970 World Cup, Peter Bonetti and Alex Stepney, had been cast aside by Ramsey so Shilton could begin to regard himself as his country's number two goalkeeper at the age of 22. Shilton's fourth and fifth England caps came towards the end of 1972, before a tragic incident suddenly saw Shilton propelled into the limelight as England's number one keeper. In October 1972, Gordon Banks was involved in a car crash which resulted in the loss of the sight in one eye and thus ended his career. Liverpool goalkeeper Ray Clemence was called up to make his debut a month later for England's opening qualifier for the 1974 World Cup, (a 1–0 win over Wales). Shilton ended up with over 100 caps compared to Clemence's 61. In the summer of 1973, Shilton kept three clean sheets as England defeated Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Against Scotland, Shilton made a right…

Shilton was considered by pundits to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world in his prime and as one of England's greatest players ever in his position. In 2024, he was ranked by FourFourTwo at number 17 in the "best goalkeepers ever". Shilton was an intelligent and efficient goalkeeper, who was regarded above all for his physical presence, handling, positional sense, composure and consistency, as well as his ability to communicate with his teammates, organise his defence, and inspire confidence in his back-line. He possessed significant physical strength, which made him an imposing presence in the area, despite not being the tallest of goalkeepers. He was known for his agility, and also possessed excellent reflexes, and good shot-stopping abilities. He was also known for his work-rate, mentality, discipline in training, and physical conditioning. He also stood out for his exceptional longevity throughout his career, which spanned four decades. He retired at the age of 47, having competed in over 1,000 professional matches. Shilton drew criticism in the English media at times for his increasing lack of pace and agility with age in his later career which, along with his timing and relatively modest stature for a goalkeeper, is thought to have limited him when facing penalties, most noticeably in England's penalty shoot-out defeat to eventual champions West Germany in the 1990 World Cup semi-final; throughout his international career, his only penalty save came against…

Shilton married Sue Flitcroft in September 1970, and the couple have two sons, Michael and Sam, who later became a professional footballer. In December 2011, it was announced that Shilton had split from his wife after 40 years of marriage. Shilton was charged with drink driving in March 2013, he was banned for 20 months and ordered to pay £1,020 costs. In March 2015, it was announced that Shilton was to marry his second wife, jazz singer Stephanie Hayward, the pair having got engaged in 2014. The couple were married at the Parish of St Peter and St Paul Church in West Mersea, on 10 December 2016. Shilton supported the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. In 2018, after his former England teammate Gary Lineker commented on a social media post by Shilton praising the Conservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg, he challenged Lineker to engage in a television debate with him. In January 2020, Shilton said that he had overcome a 45-year gambling addiction with the help of his wife, Steph. Shilton has worked with the UK government to raise awareness of associated issues including mental health problems. Shilton was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1986 New Year Honours, Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1991 New Year Honours, and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to association football and the prevention of gambling harm.